AQHYA World Blog: First and Final World Show For Madison Maciejewski Results in L2 Championship
Formal I Will Be, aka “Ellie,” as a yearling.
EC Blog by: Madison Maciejewski
When purchasing a young horse with untapped potential, every owner dreams of what could be. Everyone involved in a young horse’s life works hard to make sure that the little filly or colt has the best start and is on track to do great things. Our hopes were no different when my family purchased a yearling from the Crundwell liquidation auction in Dixon, Illinois in September of 2011. Little did any of us know that this special, bay filly would bring us great joy and success at my first and final AQHYA World Show.
Formal I Will Be, known as “Ellie” outside of the show pen, was brought home to our family farm in Illinois to become a project for my sister and I. My family worked with her every day and my sister, Makayla, broke her out to ride, along with putting many of Ellie’s first wins and points on her record.
Madison and Ellie at the 2017 AQHA Youth World Show. Image courtesy of Kelly Maciejewski.
We were lucky enough to have great success with Ellie at many circuit shows, and she earned her Performance Register of Merit as a three-year-old with points in Showmanship, Horsemanship, and Equitation. Every accomplishment we earned with Ellie was a huge deal to us, considering the fact that we taught her all of the skills needed to be a show horse without having a trainer.
As soon as Ellie earned her ROM, I began showing her in Youth Performance Halter Mares. This quickly became our favorite class in which to show. My family and I worked hard at constantly managing her feed and supplements, along with diligently sweating her neck and using exercise to keep her fit. After earning her ROM, I was lucky enough to get qualified with Ellie for my first World Show.
Waiting for the results. Image courtesy of Kelly Maciejewski.
My family and I made the 12-hour trek from Illinois to OKC for the first class of the 2017 World Show so that I would be able to have the experience of walking through the coveted “Gateway of Champions” for my final youth year. Ellie and I were first to track in, so I knew that she would likely show well in the front spot of the pen. She set up, stood still, and showed with her ears up the entire time. I couldn’t have asked her to show any better.
I was fortunate enough to have placed 4th in the Level 3 Performance Mares as well as to become the first ever Adequan Level 2 Champion. I was in disbelief that Ellie, now a 6-year-old, had come so far from when we first purchased her and had turned into a great show mare for my entire family. I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish my goals without my amazing mom, dad, sister, Nana, and Pop to support me. I was very fortunate to have been able to show and own Ellie for five great years, and I wish her all the best with her new family.
In summation, my success this year is proof that if you buy a horse you love, feed it well, work hard, and never look back, you might just be able to surprise yourself with how far you can go.
If you’d like to write a blog for EquineChronicle.com, just like Madison, email B.Bevis@EquineChronicle.com.
